Typhoon makes Mirror reflect

Bill HoffmanWhether taking on developers hell-bent on destroying the Coast’s natural appeal or a Prime Minister indifferent to the plight of the poor, Bill Hoffman has never been one to mince his words. Bill’s been a journalist for 32 years, 29 of those on the Coast. Love him or hate him, he'll get you blogging.

AN AID project with a distinctly Sunshine Coast flavour is taking shape in the Philippines after the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda.

The opportunity to do something to help has prompted Maleny publicist Mirror Living to give up the creature comforts of home and commit the next two years to living in a tent and working with the community of Barbaza on Panay Island.

The category five typhoon ripped through the Philippines on November 2 last year, leaving 6201 people dead, 4.1 million displaced and 1.1 million homes destroyed.

Damage has been estimated at nearly $1 billion and it is believed 16 million people were affected.

Mirror, 34, has built a strong client base among yoga teachers and natural healers.

It is the first time she has engaged in this level of volunteering and it will be her first visit to Asia.

"I just had a strong, unarguable calling to do something helpful for these people,'' she said this week.

Mirror's role will be to raise awareness of a multi-pronged project being driven by Green Warriors, a Hong Kong-based social enterprise that provides sustainability aid instead of conventional aid.

She will manage administration and communication, and develop fundraising concepts.

Green Warriors are led by Steve Cran, who spent 15 years in the Sunshine Coast hinterland promoting the benefits of permaculture.

Its aid strategies focus on self-sufficiency, permanent food security, environmental recovery and building a "green economy" to replace what it sees as the "current unsustainable brown economy systems that are perpetuating cycles of poverty and poor ecological health".

The team includes expert builders, farmers, eco-educators and child welfare specialists.

Mirror said most of the $332 million of foreign aid that had poured into the country since the tragedy had naturally targeted areas of large population while places like Barbaza have seen very little support.